Typology of small towns in the western borderland regions of Russia
- Pages
- 35-47
Abstract
Recognizing the leading role of large urban agglomerations in the development of any region, it should be noted that small towns perform their equally important function as reference points in the regional framework of the settlement system. In strategic regions, like the ones of the Western borderland, small towns, inter alia, become significant for ensuring national interests along the state border of Russia. The article presents the author's version of the typology of small towns in the Western borderlands of Russia, based on the statistical and analytical databases. Due to the limited research tools for assessing the level of development and quality of life in individual cities, the proposed assessment methodology may be interesting for conducting similar studies in some other regions of Russia. The results of the typological research showed that only 10 % of small cities in the Western borderlands can be classified as relatively prosperous, in which over the past 10 years the population has grown (or decreased, but the rate of decline was below the average regional values), and urban environment in the cities has enabled to classify them as favorable.